Liam let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. Things really were becoming bad fast.
One minute they were just trying to catch their breath inside this damp cave, and now that dragon was still out there sowhere.
His heart was still hamring from the fight earlier, and every second that ticked by felt like it was slipping through his fingers.
Beatrix muttered a curse beside him, her voice tight. "We don’t have enough ti."
Liam pushed himself up from the rocky floor.
He walked over to the end of the tunnel where the wall looked a little too smooth, a little too perfect.
He tapped it with his knuckles, solid stone, but sothing about the sound felt off, hollow.
He turned back to the girls, his eyes moving over Beatrix, Crya, Olivia, and Pyra, who was still slumped against the wall looking pale.
"I hear sothing inside," he said, keeping his voice low but clear. "Like... movent or echoes. There’s more back there."
The girls stared at him. Crya tilted her head. "Really?"
Olivia frowned. "You sure it’s not just the wind or sothing?"
Liam shook his head. "No. It’s different. Get back, all of you. Protect Pyra. I’m opening this up."
They didn’t argue. Beatrix pulled Pyra a little farther away while Crya and Olivia stepped behind him.
Liam planted his feet, drew in a breath, and slamd his fist into the wall with everything he had.
Cracks spiderwebbed out, dust rained down, and then the whole section crumbled like cheap drywall.
He blinked against the sudden darkness and stepped through.
A hidden chamber opened up in front of them, tall ceilings, shelves lining every wall, and the faint glow of old lanterns hanging from chains.
Crya let out a surprised laugh behind him. "Wow, this is really like Minecraft. Finding a hidden house behind a random wall."
Liam wiped dust from his eyes and shot her a quick glance. "Not the ti, Crya. Co on, stay sharp."
They rushed inside anyway, feet scuffing over the stone floor. The place was bigger than it looked from the entrance.
Rows and rows of books stretched out, so stacked on tables.
Liam coughed hard as the dust kicked up around them. "Place is really dusty. And look at all these books... must be hundreds."
He moved over to the nearest table, where a thick volu sat open like soone had just set it down yesterday.
He picked it up, flipped it over, and read the faded gold letters on the cover out loud.
"One Hundred Ways to Kill Boredom." A short laugh escaped him despite everything.
"Yep. This is Sylvia’s library, alright. Only she would keep sothing like this down here."
Liam pulled out a heavy wooden chair that scraped loudly against the floor. He gently lowered Pyra into it.
She still looked out of it, so he crouched in front of her and lightly patted her cheeks a few tis, "Hey... wake up. Co on."
Pyra’s eyelids fluttered open slowly. She blinked a couple of tis, looking confused. "Where... where are we?"
Liam kept his hand on her shoulder, steadying her. "We found a cave and hid inside it.
One of the tunnels led us straight to this hidden library. Must’ve been sealed off for who knows how long."
Pyra turned her head, taking in the shelves and the dim light.
Her hand went up to touch her hair, and her eyes widened a little.
"Why... why does my hair look like this now? It’s all different."
Liam hesitated, then shrugged. "Maybe because of the spirit that rged with you?
I don’t know exactly how it works, but it changed you. Anyway, we don’t have ti to figure that out right now.
We need to find a way to kill that dragon outside and finish Sylvia’s ga before it finishes us."
He looked over at Beatrix, then Crya, then Olivia.
"You three, spread out and search around for any book of spells or scrolls, sothing that could actually hurt a dragon. Anything useful."
They all nodded without wasting a second. Beatrix headed left, Crya took the middle aisle, and Olivia went toward the back.
Liam turned back to Pyra and kept his voice soft. "Just relax, okay? You already lost consciousness once and you’re still weak. Don’t push yourself."
Pyra gave a small nod, but she still looked a little unsteady. Liam stood up and glanced around the library one more ti.
"I’m going to head up to the second level and check there. Shout if you find anything."
He took the narrow stone stairs two at a ti, the wood creaking under his boots.
Up on the second floor the shelves were even more packed, dust floating in the thin beams of light that sohow made it through cracks in the ceiling. He ran his fingers along the spines, scanning titles quickly, until sothing caught his eye, a bright tal glint tucked between two heavy tos. He reached in, pulled it out, and held it up. It was a simple ring, but it sparkled like it had been polished yesterday.
Liam turned it over in his palm, wondering what the hell it was doing hidden like that. He activated his inspection skill without thinking. The words floated in front of him clear as day: Ring of Death. Lets the holder use ten tis his strength in exchange for vitality until death.
His stomach tightened for a second. Ten tis the strength... but the cost was brutal. Still, with that dragon waiting outside, he wasn’t about to leave sothing like this behind. He slipped the ring under his coat and muttered to himself, "I’m keeping this."
He headed back down the stairs. The girls had already co together again near the center table. Liam walked straight to Beatrix. "Find anything?"
She lifted a rolled-up scroll and uncurled it just enough for him to see the glowing runes. "This scroll is for massive damage. It might actually help us if we ti it right."
Liam nodded, feeling a small spark of hope. He turned to Crya next. She was holding a sword with a faint blue shimr along the blade. "This sword has an ice attribute," she said, giving it a little swing. "Could slow the thing down, maybe."
Olivia shrugged when he looked at her. "Didn’t find anything useful. Sorry."
"It’s okay," Liam said quickly. "We’ve got enough to work with." He shifted his gaze to Pyra, who was still sitting but looked a little steadier. "You feeling good enough to move?"
She nodded and stood up slowly. "Since the spirit rged with , I’m feeling stronger. A lot stronger, actually."
Liam wondered if she was just saying that to make him feel better or if it was really true. He quickly checked her level in his mind’s eye. Sixty-two. His eyebrows went up. She really had jumped. "Alright," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "In that case, let’s go attack the dragon."
Everyone nodded. They made their way back through the broken wall and out of the cave, stepping into the open air again. The dragon was gone from where they’d last seen it. Liam scanned the beach and heard deep, angry roars echoing from farther down the shoreline. "We need to think of a plan," he said. "That dragon is way stronger than us. We can’t just rush in."
Pyra lifted her hand suddenly. "For so reason, since the spirit rged with ... I can understand the dragon’s roars now."
Liam turned to her fast. "What does he want?"
Her face went scared, eyes wide. "He wanted to eat the spirit originally, but now he’s angry that it rged with instead."
Liam ruffled his own hair in frustration, the strands sticking up from the sweat and dust. "Things just beca really intense."
He stood there for a mont, thinking hard, staring out at the island. His eyes landed on the volcano in the distance, dark smoke curling up from its crater. "We can use that as bait," he said. "Since he wants the spirit, he must want to eat you too, Pyra. And look, there’s a volcano. We could use it to our advantage."
Pyra nodded without hesitation. "I’ll do it."
Liam laid it out quick and clear. "You’ll be the bait, Pyra. Run straight for the volcano. Beatrix, you hide near the edge with that scroll ready to go. When the dragon gets close, hit it hard. The fall should do the rest. It’s risky, but it’s the only way without getting right up next to the thing."
All the girls nodded. It was a solid plan, the only one they had right now.
Soon Pyra was standing a short distance from the sleeping dragon, its massive body curled up on the black sand. Liam gave her the signal with a quick hand motion. "Run. Now."
She took off. Liam waited until she had a good head start, then nodded at Crya. "Launch a cryo spear at it."
Crya didn’t hesitate. The spear flew true and slamd into the dragon’s side. It woke up dizzy, shaking its head, then spotted Pyra and let out a roar that shook the ground, angry, hungry, aggressive. It launched into the air and chased after her.
Liam breathed out in relief. "Thank god her level went up. She’s running faster than before." He waved at the others. "Follow ."
Pyra led the dragon in a wide arc straight toward the volcano’s edge. Beatrix was already hidden there, scroll unrolled and glowing in her hands. The mont the dragon flew over the right spot, she unleashed it. A blast of raw power slamd into the dragon’s wing. It roared in pain and started to fall, spiraling down toward the lava below.
But then its clawed hand shot out and grabbed Pyra, dragging her with it.
Liam cursed loudly. "This is really nasty luck." Without thinking twice he activated the Ring of Death. Power surged through him, hot and heavy, like every muscle was on fire. He sprinted after her, leaping over the edge.
He caught her two arms with his own, gripping tight. Below them the dragon had her leg in its iron hold, its body already tumbling toward the bubbling lava. Liam pulled with everything the ring gave him, muscles straining, while Pyra kicked and twisted to help. Slowly, inch by inch, she slipped free from the dragon’s grip.
The dragon plunged into the lava with a deafening splash. Steam exploded upward.
Liam let out a long, shaky sigh as they hung there for a second, hearts pounding. "Things finally cald down."
But then a bright hologram flickered into view right in front of him and all the girls, glowing in the air like a giant screen.
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